№1-ranked amateur Koivun, who is in Procore Championship field at Silverado, ‘trying to become the best’

Jackson Koivun is shown during the third round of the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship at Silverado Resort in Napa on Saturday. (Marty James photo)

It’s been a whirlwind of nonstop golf and travel, particularly in California, over the last few weeks for Jackson Koivun.

Koivun, the №1-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, played in the 125th U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in August in San Francisco. He tied for eighth place in stroke play qualifying and lost in the Round of 32 of match play.

Koivun, a junior at Auburn University, played for the U.S. team in the in the 50th Walker Cup at Cypress Point Club, at Pebble Beach, last week. He compiled a 3–1 record, earning three points and helping the American team to a win over the team from Great Britain & Ireland.

“I’m trying to become the best. Just got to keep putting myself in situations that I can perform well in, and practicing my tail off in the offseason or when I’m not competing to just get better,” Koivun said.

Koivun arrived in Napa earlier this week. He’s in the field at the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship, a $6 million FedExCup Fall event, at Silverado Resort. It’s his ninth PGA Tour start and his seventh this season.

“It’s just all learning. There’s a lot to learn out here. I’m trying to do it as quickly as I can before I turn pro, whether that’s the end of this year, end of next year,” said Koivun.

Jackson Koivun is shown during the third round of the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship at Silverado Resort in Napa on Saturday. (Marty James photo)

“Just trying to fully understand what goes on inside the ropes.”

So far, so good for Koivun, who was tied for second place going into Saturday’s third round of the Procore Championship, taking place on the North Course at Silverado.

After starting out the tournament with a 5-under-par 67 in the first round on Thursday, he went out and shot a 6-under 66 in Friday’s second round. He was at 11-under 133, tied with Russell Henley at the halfway point of the event.

“I was pretty pleased with my iron shots, probably like my approaches are pretty good. A little disappointed in my driver, but still put me in some spots where I could still score from, so can’t be too mad about that, and my putting was pretty good today, too,” Koivun said after his round on Friday.

Seventy professionals and two amateurs, including Koivun, made the 36-hole cut and advanced to the weekend. The cut was at 1-under 143.

Koivun was paired on Saturday with J.J. Spaun, who won the U.S. Open earlier this year and is one of the 10 U.S. Ryder Cup players in the field. They started play at 1:40 p.m.

“It’s just all about learning and how my body works under pressure in certain spots on the leaderboard,” said Koivun. “Just trying to understand what you do in certain situations. I felt like I’ve done a pretty good job in understanding that and kind of applying that to tournaments.”

Koivun earned PGA Tour membership via PGA Tour University Accelerated at the conclusion of stroke play at the 2025 NCAA Championship. He finished in a tie for fourth place in stroke play to earn the final point needed to reach the 20-point threshold in the program, according to the Tour.

Jackson Koivun is shown during the third round of the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship at Silverado Resort in Napa on Saturday. (Marty James photo)

He became the third player to earn Tour status through PGA Tour University Accelerated.

He eagled the par-5, 573-yard 12th hole, hitting driver 301 yards to the left fairway and his second shot 271 yards to the green. He made the putt from 2 feet, 7 inches.

He also had birdies on Nos. 1, 4, 5, 10, 13 and 15.

Koivun has played very well on the PGA Tour, and is seeking a third straight top-10 finish this season. He entered the week with three straight top-15 finishes on Tour. He tied for sixth at the ISCO Championship and tied for fifth at the Wyndham Championship. He has shot 68 or better in his last nine rounds on Tour. He also tied for 11th place at the John Deere Classic.

He is making his ninth PGA Tour start this week at the Procore Championship.

“He’s a tremendous young player. It’s really neat to see him tee it up with some of these great veteran players. He’s going to be a player to watch,” said Andy McDowell, Executive Director of the Procore Championship.

Koivun, 20, who is from Chapel Hill, N.C., is looking forward to playing in events for Auburn soon.

“I’ve got some college events coming up, which I’m happy for. I came back to college for a reason and I’m happy to go compete in the college events,” said Koivun.

As an Auburn freshman during the 2023–24 season, he became the first player in college golf history to win the three Player of the Year awards (Haskins, Hogan, Nicklaus) and the National Freshman of the Year Award in the same season.

He also owns three career collegiate victories.

Koivun was named as a first-team All-American in 2024 and 2025.

He was the recipient of the 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal for being the leading amateur in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of Aug. 20.